The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of solar panel devices and more specifically relates to flat panel inside room technology for providing an energy efficient means to blow air to vary the temperature therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern society uses buildings to provide accommodation and storage for occupants and their possessions. Buildings may fall into residential and commercial classes. These buildings are often provided with power and/or temperature regulating means to provide comfort to the individuals and suitable storage temperatures items. Many furnaces are powered via natural gas or propane. These furnaces require a utility service to be piped in which may be expensive, especially in remote locations.
Solar thermal energy (STE) is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat). Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United States Energy Information Administration as low-, medium-, or high-temperature collectors. Low-temperature collectors are flat plates generally used to heat swimming pools. Medium-temperature collectors are also usually flat plates but are used for heating water or air for residential and commercial use. High-temperature collectors concentrate sunlight using mirrors or lenses and are generally used for electric power production.
Solar energy is a powerful, cost-effective option. Solar heating & cooling technologies collect the thermal energy from the sun and use this heat to provide hot water, space heating, cooling, and pool heating for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. These technologies displace the need to use electricity or natural gas. However, it may be difficult to utilize solar heat in many rooms or homes. If a person does not have solar panels or the means to install them, solar energy may not be an option. It may also be challenging to utilize solar energy in all areas of a building given the limited portability of conventional devices.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0312293 to Christian Vachon, U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0090599 to Jeffrey Thomas Parana, U.S. Pat. No. 7,631,641 to David A. Goldman and Michael I. Goldman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,982 to John A. MacKenzie, U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,166 to Dina Katsir, and U.S. Pat. No. D288,711 to Donald A. Atkinson. This art is representative of solar panel devices. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a solar energy powered air blowing system should provide an efficient way to blow air into an interior area which may be supported upright or mounted to a door or window for varied and convenient use. The solar energy powered air blowing system should utilize safer technology than traditional space heaters and should be attachable to doors and windows in a way that still may allow light to enter therein. Further, it is desirable that the system be lightweight, and compact for convenient storage and portability, and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable solar energy powered air blowing system to avoid the above-mentioned problems.